There is nothing wrong with Chicago Cutlery knives - it sounds like you just need to get yours sharpened. Trust me - even a $1,000 knife isn't going to be any fun to use if it isn't sharp, and a $25 knife can be a joy if it is sharp.

Step 1: Break out your yellow pages and look under "KNIVES" and find a knife shop near you - call them up and ask who they would recommend to professionally sharpen your knives. Get them sharpened!

Step 2: Visit a knife shop and talk to them about how to sharpen your knives - and what you need to do the job at home. These guys are passionate about knives and will be glad to spend time talking to you. They will also be happy to explain the differences between good and bad knives.

Step 3: If you still want to buy a new knife - go around to various stores and "test drive" a few until you find the one you want. The knife has to have good balance and feel good in YOUR hand before you will enjoy using it. Remember, the TV Chefs get paid to use the knives they do on TV - you won't!

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"It ain't what you don't know that gets you in trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." - Mark Twain

I'll second GB's praise of the Wusthof Grand Prix knives. I use one, chef uses the same one I do, and has had it for about 6 years now. The handles aren't wooden, but they're great knives.

Another set of knives I like a lot, but do not personally own, is the Meridian Elite series knives by Messermeister. A couple of guys at work use these, and they keep an edge incredibly well. My next knife purchase will likely be a Meridian Elite. I do believe they have wooden handles, as well.

Though too poor a college students for anything more than cheap Walmart knives just yet, I worked in a kitchen store for two summers and met many customers who swore by our Henkels or Wusthof, buying one and coming back for more or a set.

It seemed a personal preference which brand was prefered, so spend some time in a good shop seeing how each feels to you. Look for good weight and balance, but most imporantly, look carefully at which line you are buying. It really is worth it to invest in a few top of the line knives which will last a lifetime (and have a warranty to that effect). Both brands offer lower cost versions, but they are definately lower value. Shorter warranty period, cheaper metal, less weight and balance. Some of the uber-budget Henkels International blades felt just plain flimsy.

So don't just see the brand name and think you are grabbing a deal, if you spend much time in your kitchen at all it's worth saving up for the expense- a good knife really does make a difference!

Once you have decided what knife or knives you like, keep an eye on Ebay for prices. Yes, you can pick them up in the store at full price and take them home immediately (like me, $325 for a knife set I bought) or you can watch the auctions, strike when the iron is hot and snag a great deal. I bought my parents a Henckels four-star set of seven knives and the block for $100. Someone received them as a wedding gift and didn't want them.

Santuko's are ok. I have one or two, but I don't find myself using them unless the other knives are busy in other projects. A good paring knife is a must - and I still haven't found the one I really love. Shun's next.

Do some research on blade shapes and the differing shapening techniques. Chicago Cutlery used to always use the Hollow ground sharpening technique. It creates a concave shap from about half way up the blade to the cutting edge. It is easy to manufacture as the knife is simply run between vertically circling grinding wheels. The method produces a very sharp factory edge. The problem with this grind is that as the knife is resharpened, the edge metal width grows exonentially and becomes progressively harder to sharpen. Also, the hollow grind causes the knife to "wedge" itself through hard veggies such as carrots, cabbage, winter squashes, etc. This make the cutting chore much more difficult.

Chicago Cutlery now sells knives sharpened with a straight grind. That is, the blade thickness decreases in a straight line from the spine to the cutting edge. This surves to decrease the force required to push through hard veggies. The knife slices through rather than wedges itself through.

Chisel grinds are very sharp and easy to sharpen. But the knives tend to angle themselves either into or out of the straight and desired path do to the fact that only one side of the blade is sharpened.

Each sharpening technique has its strenghts and weaknesses.

When you are sharpening your knife, there are also techniques to consider. The V-edge is the simplest knife edge to create and sharpen. It is achieved by runing the knife edge forward through successively finer ginding stones, usually lubricated with oil or water, at about a 30 degree angle until the knife is as sharp as you desire. The edge cuts cleanly and easily, but also, is the easiest of the edge shapes to dull. It requires a lot of maintenance.

A better edge is the compound edge. This edge starts with sharpening as for a V-edge. After that edge is complete, the knife is again sharpend at a steeper 40 degree angle. This makes the edge less prone to folding and it holds its shape longer. It is a more time consuming task however.

Finally, the convex edge is the strongest, and intially, the hardes edge to produce. It is achieved by changing the grind angle cotinuously from almost paralell to the blade, to about 40 degrees. This creates an edge that arcs from the top of the cutting edge to the cutting edge in a convex, or outward curve. It is the strongest of the edge shapes. This edge has the advantage of being sharper, and holding its edge much longer than either the V or the compound edges. And once it is achieved, is easy to maintain simply by steeling, or when the knife does begin to dull, grinding after the same manner that was used to originally shape the edge.

I took the time to reshape my Chroma 10" chef's knife with the convex edge. It made a significant difference in the knife's performance, in a very good way. I also own some Chicago cutlery knives with the hollow-ground blade. Even these slice through meats much easier.

And remember, the weight of the knife isn't nearly as important as how sharp the edge is. A light and sharp knive will slice through carrots and celery with ease. A heavier, and equally sharp knife will do the same. But if you have to do a lot of knife work, the heavier blade will cause fatigue much faster.

A heavier blade does chop better. Think of the difference between the spliting power of an axe, and an 8 lb. splitting maul. The heavier maul actually is easier to use as the mass applies greater energy to the wood being split than does the lighter mass of an axe head. It takes a bit more to get it moving, but once moving, it has far greater kinetic energy.

I would opt for heavy if I were purchasing a knife or cleaver for chopping.

One more thing, the curve on the blade's cutting edge is called the belly. For slicing chores, select knives with more belly. This surves to lengthen the edge with respect to the blade length, giving you more slicing length per stroke.

For chopping chores, the cutting edge should be more straight, giving you more surface that contacts the food with each chop.

Hope this helps.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

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